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Overview

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy began as a 1978 BBC radio series by Douglas Adams, who adapted the material into a bestselling novel in 1979. This six-part BBC television miniseries - a witty and farcical science-fiction send-up -- stars Simon Jones as gormless Arthur Dent, who wakes up one morning to discover that a demolition crew is preparing to destroy his house and put in a new highway bypass. Saddened by this news, Arthur accepts the offer of his buddy Ford Prefect to head down to the local pub for a drink, but is soon greeted by Ford's wild revelation that he is in fact not a human but a space alien from a small planet just outside of Betelgeuse, who has spent many years on the planet Earth in the guise of a human actor, doing background research for a book called 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.' Before Arthur can fully digest this news, a Vogon spaceship appears in the sky and blasts out the message that the entire Earth will soon be destroyed to put in an intergalactic superhighway. At the last moment, Arthur and Ford manage to board the spaceship to escape obliteration themselves. Arthur is soon ensconced in a strange space vessel festooned with all manner of confusing hardware, and jets through a series of increasingly off-the-wall adventures, where he meets such wild characters as three-armed galaxy president Zaphod Beeblebrox; Trillian, the latter's girlfriend; neurotic robot Marvin; and Veet Voojagig, a graduate student with a ballpoint pen fixation. Like Dr. Who and other BBC productions, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy took its US bow on PBS affiliate stations.

Editorial Reviews

Gleefully verbal, intensely witty, and faux tech in the manner of all the great BBC space series, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy holds up remarkably well on DVD, even 20 years after its initial U.S. run on public television. The brainchild of Beeb writer Douglas Adams (Doctor Who), it concerns the intergalactic adventures of Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent: respectively, a humanoid alien researching an update for the titular tome and an Englishman plucked from Earth moments before it is blasted to bits to make way for an interstellar expressway. Prefect (David Dixon) and Dent (Simon Jones, in pajamas and robe throughout) wind up on a quest to find "the meaning of life, the universe, and everything," which turns out to be 42, and their tour includes dinner at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, amid other refreshingly absurd layovers. If you haven't stopped reading yet, you're a likely candidate for this three-hour journey into Mr. Adams' playfully wicked imagination, which is celebrated on the second DVD of this wonderful two-disc set.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy 4.4 out of 5based on
0 ratings.
14 reviews.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

Here we go again in a masterpiece of cult movies. Monty Python Humor, Space ships, and Hitchhikers. What could be better

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy was a very good book overall. With great word choice and humor present throughout the book it is truly worthy of being a favorite piece of literature for our generation. The characters succeeded in entrancing the audience in the book and the story made the readers mind wander throughout the universe, while somehow still keeping the reader on track with what is happening. Zaphod Beeblebrox was initially thought to be a hippy-turned-criminal character, but then a mystery begins to develop around what happened to him in his life before meeting up with the gang and going on this adventure to Magrathea. Trillian is the reasonable, patient, curious, listener. She is the one who wants to know more about the universe around her, which Zaphod does not have much interest in. Arthur was shocked at what happened with aliens at first, but becomes less and less shocked at the strange things that happen to the group on their adventures. For instance, when the missiles were hurtling toward their ship, The Heart of Gold, rather than panicking and screaming that they were going to die, he pulled the improbablilty drive switch and they were saved. Ford Prefect was not described quite as much in the story. He did however, have a paragraph or two where he was described as looking at the stars andmissing home and he was not happy about being stranded on Earth for fifteen years. And finally, I get to the author, Douglas Adams. Douglas Adams has the unique imagination of a child, but with the sophistication of a grown man and this allows him to make a great story like this without getting too bizarre with the story or characters. Overall, well done Mr. Adams, you have created a book that should go down in history as one of the greatest and unique books in history.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

AstroCat

More than 1 year ago

This is the best TV adaptation of a radio series simultaneously adapted into a book in the history of the form. Surprisingly competent for a BBC production of the period, it knocks the theatrical movie (which is still quite enjoyable) flat on its ass.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Gotta get this today. Sunday's date, 10-10-10, is binary for 42!

Guest

More than 1 year ago

It's all been said before, however, Hal's review for the all movie guide contains the glaringly incorrect information that the books spawned the Radio series. The radio series came first and THGTTG was only supposed to be one episode of a series called 'The ends of the earth'. Adams liked the ideas behind that first episode so much, he devoloped the rest of the series around it, making them fit the 30 minute segments which is why the radio series had fits instead of episodes. Anyway, enough of the banter, buy it now. Let's hope the forthcoming Movie is as fittingly funny as this version. Mos Def: great things are expected of you as Ford, please make Doglas Adams proud.

Mycroft

More than 1 year ago

The first movie presentation of Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is fun to watch. Originally aired on BBC television in the early 80's the movie takes a little more in-depth to the book than the 2008 version. Although the special effects may not be "Lucas or Cameron" material it still gives to the story about Arthur Dent, who, on the last day of Earth gets pulled into one misadventure after another with Ford Prefect, who trying to update the Hitchhiker's Guide. The regular gang is here as they try to discover the ultimate question.
Good fun even if it is a little campy. Watch for special appearance by Douglas Adams.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

This is a great movie if you've read the book. However, the jokes were all rushed and some of the really good ones got skipped. The whole movie was kind of scrunched together, really, but a die-hard fan of the books will enjoy it. If you haven't read the book, I don't recommend it, because it does a poor job of explaining things.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

This is A great one If you don't get a kick out of this DON'T PANIC I've seen this one many times and I still get a kick out of it

Guest

More than 1 year ago

This miniseries is a wonderful addition to your collection, especially if you liked the books, or ''Red Dwarf'', or ''Doctor Who'', or ''Black Adder''. The special effects are pretty sorry, but that's not what you would be looking for with this series, anyway. The extras disk is great. I especially like ''behind the scenes'' where you get to see how mind-numbingly boring working as a TV actor can be. It's also great to have footage of the late Douglas Adams. A very well-done DVD package.